Dare to Trust (The Dare 1)

“I can take care of myself, Dep—Mike. So no need to worry.”

She almost called him deputy again but Mike raised one of his eyebrows up at her in challenge and she immediately pulled back. It turned her on that he had that control of her body and her mouth just from his sexy expression. But that also angered her. She was a fool, a sucker for a good sexy cowboy and law enforcement man. He wasn’t even wearing that sexy deputy uniform. Instead he had a tight shirt on that revealed his bulging muscles and rock-solid chest in a blue color that accentuated his eyes.

He smirked and she realized she had been staring at him, probably drooling, when the bell rang for an order pickup.

She tried to recover from her actions. “I’ll just grab you the usual drinks. Maybe by the time I get back, you’ll be ready to order,” she said and turned around to head toward the kitchen. She heard the long whistle from Jack as if again she shocked them by her comeback. It was funny, but she enjoyed the little back-and-forth word games with them. It made her belly do flip-flops and her mind wonder if she could let her guard down a little and get to know them better, as friends. But then she felt the fear as she picked up the order for the Dawn brothers. Men were after one thing only and she wasn’t ready to lose her heart, her soul and her newfound spirit of determination to make it on her own. No matter how good they smelled, how sexy they were, or how all three of the Spencer brothers turned her on and made her pussy cream just from a little back-and-forth banter. No way.

* * * *

“You have got to pull it together. She needs to be persuaded to get to know us. Maybe try the friends first thing we talked about?” Danny suggested.

“Are you kidding me? Friends first? I’ve never been friends with a woman first. How the fuck is that even possible with Marlena when every time I see her I fucking feel out of control and possessive? She’s too damn sweet and sexy to be a friend,” Jack whispered.

“Hell, Danny, I don’t think the kind of thoughts a friend has about another friend when I look at Marlena. I saw fucking red when I thought Taylor, Kurt, and Warner were hitting on her,” Mike added.

“But they were messing with us. We got that straightened out quickly,” Danny added as Marlena set down the lunches for the Dawn brothers and then went back to the counter to pick up the drink orders for them.

She returned, placing down three ice teas with lemon in front of them. Danny inhaled her perfume and then took in the sight of her gorgeous green eyes. She cringed as she reached across the table.

“Sweetie, how is the burn, really?” he asked her and took her hand after she placed the last ice tea down onto the table. She pulled slightly but he held steady. She relaxed and he was grateful.

“I told you, Danny, I’m okay and I can take care of myself.”

“That’s not the point. Do you know what to look for with an infection? Do you have any first aid experience? Have you let Doc Anders look at it?” he asked and caressed her hand with his thumb, stroking the top of it. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.

“I added new ointment and a new bandage. Won’t that be enough?” she asked, sounding concerned.

Danny glanced at Mike. She looked from Danny to him.

“You should let me take a look at it. When does your shift today end?” he asked.

She hesitated a moment.

“Five, but I’m meeting someone,” she added. Danny felt his gut clench. Was she involved with another man, or

men? They would know. They’d had their eyes on her for a while. It had to be one of her girlfriends.

“When will you finish up with them?” Mike asked.

“I’m not sure. Listen, I’ll be okay. I appreciate your concern. Don’t feel guilty about the burn. It wasn’t your fault. Now, would you like to order?” she asked.

Danny released her hand.

“Sure thing, honey,” he said, and then they each gave their food order.

Marlena walked away.

“Who the hell is she meeting?” Danny asked.

“I don’t know. Could be one of the women. Don’t worry. She’s not seeing anyone,” Mike said.

“You go in at three today. See if you see her in town meeting up with some guy,” Jack said then glanced back toward the kitchen. Danny felt disappointed and jealous. He didn’t want to lose the chance at getting to know Marlena. They’d waited months to start flirting with her. They knew she was shy and they wanted to give her time to adjust to them. But she was real timid. So much so he started wondering about her past.

“Maybe we need to talk with Connolly,” Danny suggested.

“What for?” Mike asked and took a sip of his ice tea.

“To find out what Marlena is hiding about her past. The more we talk to her, the more I get the feeling that she’s scared. It’s like she doesn’t trust men. You saw her with the Dawn brothers, and she was just as shy and kept her distance from the table. That’s not just from being timid. I think someone hurt her.”